


Just a Dream

by Beachmomma77



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Attempt at Humor, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Force Bond (Star Wars), Forgive Me, I Tried, Jedi Ben Solo, My First Work in This Fandom, Please Don't Kill Me, Prince Ben Solo, Resistance Member Ben Solo, Scavenger Rey (Star Wars), Star Wars References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-17
Updated: 2018-02-17
Packaged: 2019-03-20 08:21:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13713723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beachmomma77/pseuds/Beachmomma77
Summary: Ben has had dreams of a certain girl for quite some time. What if he one day discovers that she isn't just a dream?





	Just a Dream

**Author's Note:**

  * For [La_Catrina](https://archiveofourown.org/users/La_Catrina/gifts).



> This was written for the Reylo Anthology More than Love exchange for La Catrina. I apologize for not following the prompt to the letter, but I hope you like my first attempt at Reylo.
> 
> Credit to LadyCamille for being my beta and to Biekewieke, for being an awesome cheerleader. 
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Star Wars.

oOoOo

  
  


_ Darkness was upon them.  _

 

_ He was sure this was what hell looks like. From every side, he saw buildings crashing to the ground, people screaming, and tie fighters blasting at will. From a mile off, he could see stormtroopers headed their direction, firing at everything in sight. There was still time to escape, he thought. As he grabbed her hand, he felt something sharp pierce through his arm and he tumbled back. With rage building inside him fast, he stood to face the coward who fired at him. Just as he was about to ignite his lightsaber, another blast went off, barely missing him.  _

 

_ “That was a warning. Stand back or this scavenger gets hurt.” _

 

_ As if on cue, dozens of stormtroopers surrounded him, aiming their blasters at him, ready to fire when told. The notorious Captain Phasma had spotted them, but she curiously did not recognize who he was. He tucked his weapon as discreetly as he could in his dark brown robes, his eyes never leaving the young woman that the sinister commander of the stormtrooper force held.  _

 

_ “Bring her to the Supreme Leader.” _

 

_ “Ben -”  _

 

_ He took a step forward, attempting to retrieve the woman from the mindless minions, but the valiant Captain fired at him and he tumbled to the ground once more.  _

 

_ “Ben!” _

 

_ He could hear her heart-wrenching cry as she kept begging him not to die. Her desperate attempt to reach out to him as the stormtroopers carried her off was the last thing he saw before darkness consumed him. _

  
  


“Rey!”

 

Ben bolted upright, his heart hammering in his chest. For a split second, the young prince of New Alderaan looked disoriented - the ruins, the chaos, and the woman he had briefly held closely against him were all replaced by the oxblood burgundy walls of his private chambers. He squinted as the light pouring from his majestic bay windows started to blind him. 

 

It was all a dream, he thought, feeling slightly frustrated at the helplessness he displayed earlier. His hands balled into fists, he silently cursed himself for not trying hard enough. A sharp rap at his door brought him back to the present. 

 

“Your Highness.”

 

The dark haired royalty rolled his eyes at the sound of the person calling him from outside his door. He made a mental note to remind his mother that there was no need to send the overbearing butler to wake him up every morning. 

 

“Your Highness, I know you’re awake,” the butler said. “Your father has just arrived from Eadu and would like for you to join him and your mother for breakfast.”

 

Ben frowned, not attempting to move. His father always left for long periods of time - assisting with interplanetary negotiations, patrolling the galaxy and ensuring that no one was trading illegal items. He couldn’t remember the last time they’d sat together to share a meal, and he’d gotten the impression his old man didn’t seem to mind. 

 

‘Why should he start asking me to eat with him,’ he wondered silently.

 

“Your Highness -”

 

“I heard you the first time, Charles Philip the 30th,” Ben called back, assertively. Using the force, he summoned his clothes and quickly changed. He stepped out of the room, not caring about his appearance as he scowled at the old butler and stomped off to the formal dining area where his parents were waiting. As he walked down the hall, he reminded himself that this was just breakfast and that he could leave in half an hour.  

 

Of course, his mother had to prove him wrong once more. The moment he entered the dining room, the graceful and spirited Queen Leia Organa Solo stood from her seat and walked up to him with her arms open wide. 

  
“My dearest son!”

 

He forced a smile as she enveloped him in a hug. He knew for certain that sneaking out after he’d eaten was out of the question. When his mother greets him like so, you could bet that breakfast was going to run for a few hours. 

 

He had never wanted to leave a room so badly. From the moment he’d sat with his parents for breakfast, all that the young prince could think of was Rey - the girl who’s been haunting his dreams for as long as he could remember. As his father rambled on about his latest mission, Ben started to get lost in thought. 

 

oOoOo

  
  


_ She was a child when he’d first seen her. The little girl was crying herself to sleep in a cold, dark dungeon the first few nights he’d seen her in his dreams. He never asked her why, he just assumed she couldn’t see him because she hadn’t made a move to look his way. The fourth night he’d seen her in that state, he decided to stand and look for an exit.  _

 

_ “Don’t go -” _

 

_ He stopped on his tracks and looked at the child, surprised she’d called out to him. “You could see me?” _

 

_ She nodded, wiping her tears. “You sit with me every night until I fall asleep,” she sobbed. “But I’m not asleep yet.”  _

 

_ Ben sighed. “So it seems,” he said as he moved back to where was seated a few moments ago, and leaned against the wall. “It’s pretty dark in here.” _

 

_ “Yes, it is,” the little girl said, hugging her knees. “My parents left me to them and they placed me here.” _

 

_ “Who’s them?” _

 

_ “The men wearing those black robes. They let me out in the day to help in the mines, and then when evening comes, they lock me up again.”  _

 

_ “Where are your parents?” _

 

_ She sobbed. “They gave me to them. I don’t know where they’re at.” _

 

_ He was stunned. At sixteen, he realized that he’d learned a lot about combat techniques and military strategies, but he had no idea how to comfort a crying child. He approached her slowly and placed a hand tentatively on her shoulder.  _

 

_ “How can I help?” _

 

_ “You’re already helping, Sir,” she said quietly, looking at him for the very first time. “You’re here and that’s enough. I’m Rey.” _

 

_ His eyes met hers and he smiled. The child had the most vivid brown eyes he’d ever seen. “I’m Ben.” _

 

_ And so began their uncanny friendship - he kept her company, and she made him laugh. He was with her the day she escaped her captors by sneaking into one of their cargo spacecraft undetected. The little girl had no idea where the ship had taken them, but she knew she was finally safe. _

 

_ As the years had gone by, Ben saw her less frequently in his dreams until she’d completely faded away. Even if he knew she only existed in his dreams, he still wondered what could have happened to the young girl named Rey - the child with beautiful brown eyes.  _

 

_ The answer came one evening, when he came face to face with a young lady looking through scraps from a fallen ship in the middle of the desert. He was standing front of it when parts of what looked like the ship’s engine were thrown out the latch, and missed landing on him by an inch.  _

 

_ “Next time, I won’t miss.” _

 

_ He glared at the person who had just threatened him. Does she have any idea who he is, he thought menacingly.   _

 

_ “Well? Go away, this ship’s taken!” _

 

_ Ben stood his ground, much to the scavenger’s disappointment. From where he stood, he couldn’t tell that the person was female and no more than nineteen. He held out his hand and looked inside her mind, and was amused at what he saw. The young girl was scared, but she won’t hesitate to fight him if needed. He smirked.  _

 

_ “You will come down here and surrender,” he said.  _

 

_ A long silence stood between them, and he could feel her resisting to succumb to his command. He narrowed his eyes at her, wondering how she’s able to resist the force. He entered her mind and scanned all her memories. He’d seen how she had been living by herself in a small tent near the city, how she’d made a living by selling scraps of metal for a few coins, how she was beaten up and starved by the people she worked for, and how she had sang to herself in the cold, dark dungeon, occasionally craning her neck as if to look for something - or someone… He saw her eyes light up the moment she saw someone emerge from the shadows.  _

 

_ He gasped. “Rey-,” he said, breaking his contact with the young woman. _

 

_ The young woman was just as stunned as he was. “Ben? Ben, is that you?” She quickly climbed down the dismantled spacecraft. As soon as she was on the ground, she slowly made her way to the man she had just attacked earlier. She felt her heart race, she hadn’t seen Ben since she was ten. The last time she saw him, he’d grown much taller and handsomer than when she’d first seen him in the dungeon. He didn’t stay long the last time they met, but he did sit and listen to her stories about the people who’d taken her in. And he smiled. Rey felt her cheeks burn at the memory. She didn’t understand why, but there was something about his smile that made her stomach flutter, and she held on to it especially when she was feeling low.  _

 

_ Ben stood still, watching the young woman approach. His heart was pounding loudly in his chest with each step she took. He hadn’t seen the girl in years - nearly a decade, and while he was excited at the prospect of finally seeing her again, he was also afraid that she might not turn out to be the girl he had been wondering about for some time now. He had no idea how long he’d been holding his breath until she finally stopped two steps away from him and looked at him tentatively. _

 

_ “Rey?” He silently cursed the way his voice cracked. _

 

_ “Ben,” the young woman exclaimed, throwing her arms around him and holding him as tightly as she could. “Why haven’t you come to visit? I waited for you everyday.” _

 

_ He wrapped his arms around the willowy young woman, afraid she’d disappear if he ever let her go. He stayed with her the rest of the evening, telling her about his duties and promising her he’d visit more often.  _

  
  


oOoOo

  
  


“Ben, are you still with us, son?”

 

The sound of his mother’s voice shook him out of his daydream, and he immediately straightened up. “Sorry, Mother.”

 

“Are you feeling well?”

 

“Yes,” he nodded. “I just got lost in my thoughts, that’s all.”

 

Queen Leia, the General of the New Alderaan Military, narrowed her eyes at her dark-haired son. “Hmm… That seems to be happening a lot frequently -”

 

“It’s nothing,” he dismissed.

 

The beautiful petite war hero glanced sideways at her husband before smiling at Ben. “If you say so. We were actually talking about the battle in Corellia. Admiral Ackbar’s just gotten an SOS and we’ve sent the first four squadron led by the Admiral himself. Your father is just refuelling the Falcon and will lead at least four more squadrons to-”

 

“No.”

 

The older couple looked at their son, bewildered. His father frowned. “No? Son, Corellia is at war-”

 

“I’ll go. I’ll take the Knights with me and will lead the squadrons to war,” the young man said, not giving his parents a chance to argue. “You’ve just returned from your patrol and your ship is not in its best condition. My ship is ready, my Knights are raring to go fight. Let me do this.”

 

Before his mother could argue, the King placed his arm around her and looked at their son. “Are you sure you could do this?”

 

“I’ve been trained for this. It’s my duty,” the prince responded. 

 

“Very well.”

 

Ben nodded at his father and went to embrace his mother. “I’ll come back,” he whispered to the worried monarch, who was trying her best to keep herself from crying. 

 

“May the force be with you,” his mother whispered as he planted a kiss on her forehead and strode out of the room. 

  
  
  


oOoOo

  
  


Ben’s ship landed in a desolate area at the northern part of Corellia. He’d gotten word that the New Alderaan X wing pilots have successfully secured this area for the Resistance to set up their fort as they fought to regain control of the planet against the First Order. As soon as they’ve disembarked from the Upsilon-class cruiser, Ben and the Knights of Ren joined the Resistance soldiers, who were making their way to the planet’s capital.

 

“Kylo Ren, it’s about time you and your knights arrived.”

 

Ben rolled his eyes. In battle, he was better known as Kylo Ren, master of the Knights of Ren. He led an elite group of soldiers who specialized in both hand combat and weaponry, and they were deadlier than an army put together. He glanced at the soldier who had just greeted him and his party, and recognized the soldier as Finn, one of the most annoying but the best shooters in his mother’s army. 

 

“Aren’t you supposed to be nursing your girlfriend?” he asked, before he walked by with his knights.

 

“At least I have a girlfriend,” the dusky young man called back in jest. 

 

“Kylo, this way,” Poe Dameron, the army captain waved, saving him a spot in the makeshift war room where leaders of the Ally planets gathered to form their strategy. “Where’s Han?”

 

“I’ve assumed his position,” the dashing young master replied, addressing the group. “Anything that has to do with my planet or this war goes through me.”

 

“About time,” Poe whistled, to the young prince’s dismay. “Anyway, Admiral Ackbar was just about to start with the discussion. Since Han’s not here, the responsibility of infiltrating the Ministry lies on you and your knights.”

 

“That’s all I needed to know,” he said dismissively. “My knights and I leave for the capital before dawn. Make sure your squadrons are in position.”

 

“Always the bossy one,” Poe muttered.

  
“Just like his mother,” Finn agreed, as they watched the mighty Kylo Ren and his knights take their leave for the night. 

  
  


oOoOo

  
  


No one really wins in a war.

 

Ben came to that conclusion the moment he’d first engaged in a battle to regain control over Mon Calamari, the first ever battle he participated when he was nineteen. Of his duties, it was leading his knights to war that he dreaded most, knowing full well that images of death and destruction would haunt him months after the war has ended. This was no exception. 

 

They attacked the Ministry at dawn, entering through the west gate, which had been left unguarded. With his mask on, he scanned the area quickly before he lunged at the three stormtroopers in front of him and killed them in one swift move. This had been his life since he had come of age - fighting battles with their allies, and eliminating as many of the First Order members as possible. At his side were his knights, all eight of them taking on two stormtroopers at a time. Despite their number, they’d managed to kill off the first army of stormtroopers that responded to the intruder alert. They proceeded down the hall, where they saw several resistance pilots imprisoned. Kylo freed them one by one, each pilot taking up their weapon to join the knights in battle. When he finally reached the last cell, he saw a woman dressed in a grey vest over a cream colored tank top, a pair of grey pants seated on the floor. She had gauntlets on each of her arms and wore a pair of dark brown boots that have seen better days. He gasped, feeling as though his heart leapt to his throat, as he stared at the woman, who wore her hair neatly in three small buns that framed her heart-shaped face. 

 

His heart raced. He knew exactly who this woman was - he’d seen her countless times in dreams, he wondered if his mind was playing tricks on him just now. There was no way this was real. 

 

“Master, Phasma is on her way.”

 

The masked warrior in black extended his gloved hand towards the woman and rendered her unconscious. He caught her before she fell to the ground and handed her over to his most trusted knight. 

 

“Bring her to my ship and stand on guard. No one is to harm her,” he instructed. 

 

“Yes, Master,” the knight bowed and left hurriedly with the young woman in his arms. 

 

When he was sure that his knight had gone a safe distance away from the line of fire, he strode calmly to the bridge where the knights and the Resistance pilots were fighting with Captain Phasma and her army. He ignited his lightsaber and vowed to put an end to the First Order once and for all. 

  
  


oOoOo

  
  
  


The sound of metal doors closing jolted her awake. She gasped, taking in her surroundings. She had dreamt that someone had rescued her and taken her away. Was that real, she asked herself before she fixed her gaze on the masked warrior, sitting in front of her. 

 

“Where am I?”

 

“You’re my guest,” the masked warrior responded, his voice cold and dangerous. He watched her sit up from the makeshift bed his knight lay her on as soon as he got to the ship, still in awe that he was finally seeing her in the flesh. Before today, he had thought she only existed in his mind; but now she was here - seated two feet away from him. 

 

He thanked heavens his mask was on, as it allowed him to look at her as much as he wanted. She was even more captivating in person - she had a heart-shaped face, an entrancing pair of brown eyes, a small nose, and bow shaped lips that were pink and supple. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t like what he saw, and he silently hoped she’d recognize him too. He sensed her uneasiness, and her anger boiling. 

 

“You want to kill me.” It was a fact. Her expression hardened the longer he stared at her. 

 

“That’s what happens when you come face-to-face with a monster in a mask,” she replied haughtily, to his amusement. He smirked, and slowly took his mask off to finally reveal himself to her in person. 

 

She gasped. She had thought him to be someone older, maybe balding even; the man in front of her was the last thing she’d expected. She silently cursed his lustrous black hair and his strong physique, which his uniform exposed. Slowly, she found herself staring into his pair of dark brown eyes, looking straight into her soul. She blinked and looked away. 

 

“Where are you taking me?”

 

“Somewhere safe,” he replied. 

 

“Am I to be your slave?” 

 

He smirked. “If you wish.”

 

“You’re a monster,” she hissed. 

 

“Ah, but it was you who offered,” he replied coolly, as he rose and sat at the foot of her makeshift bed. “And I’m not about to refuse your offer.”

 

She rolled her eyes. “Who are you?”

 

He was taken aback by her question. Did she really not know who she was speaking with? All this time, he had thought she’d recognized him from the dreams they shared. Why was she acting like she’d never seen him before?

 

“Master, the General is calling.”

 

He looked at the knight, who bowed as he entered the room and nodded. “Stay and watch the girl until I return.”

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

He took one last look at the defiant young woman seated in his quarters before he left the room. He had no doubt she’d press on his knight for information, and he looked forward to learning whatever she’d found out when he returned. 

  
  
  


oOoOo

  
  
  


“You’re Kylo Ren.”

 

He smirked upon hearing her voice, as he entered the room. His call with his mother took a lot longer than expected, and they’d argued over her command to stop by Ahch-To before going back to New Alderaan. 

 

“Is that all you’ve gathered from my knight? I’ve been gone for over two hours, Rey Kenobi,” he said, as he watched her eyes widen in surprise. “I know all there is to know about you.”

 

She narrowed her eyes at him. “And I know all there is to know about you.”

 

“You do?” he inquired, briefly scanning her mind for any new information about him, but found none. He smirked. “Oh, you do.”

 

“I’m going to ask you again, Kylo Ren, where are you taking me?”

 

“Somewhere habitable. I doubt anyone would go looking for you anyway,” he replied curtly.

 

“You’re wrong.” 

 

Her response startled him. He didn’t bother checking if she had found someone in Corellia, and the very thought ignited something strange in him - was it anger or rage? It was a feeling so familiar, yet so different - and along with that, he felt a strong need to take her far away from whoever it was that got her attention.

 

“And who do you think will rescue you now? We’re pretty far off from Corellia.”

 

“He doesn’t live in Corellia, and he will find me.”

 

“You have such strong faith in this hero. Are you sure we haven’t killed him off yet?” he sneered before turning to leave her in the small chambers. He needed to release the pent up anger building inside of him. He needed to get away fast. 

 

“You wouldn’t be any match for Ben.” 

 

He stopped on his tracks the moment she said his name. Ben, he thought. She said Ben. It occurred to him just then that she had no idea who he was; more importantly, that she was secretly pining for him all this time. He wanted to grab her and shake some sense into her. He wanted to tell her who he was, and maybe see if she’d still be as proud as she was at that moment. He needed to tell her something, she couldn’t have the last word. His heart raced as he glanced briefly at her, trying to mask his nervousness with his naughty smirk. 

 

“We’ll see,” was all he managed to say before the metal doors closed behind him, leaving the young woman to her devices. 

  
  


oOoOo

  
  
  


He entered the chambers a few hours later, carrying a tray that had her meal. It was highly unusual for the Master of the Knights of Ren to bring food to his own captive, and he did not miss the curious glances his Knights had given him as he made his way to her once more. 

 

“I’m not hungry,” she said when he’d set the tray beside her, trying her best to ignore the fact that her stomach clenched the moment she caught a whiff of the food he’d brought in. 

 

“You’re lying. You haven’t eaten in days.”

 

“And I’m not hungry despite that,” she rebutted. 

 

“What’s the matter, worried about your boyfriend?”

 

“Don’t you have better things to do, oh great leader of your dark army?”

 

“I do, but I’d rather sit here with you.”

 

She cocked an eyebrow at him. She knew he was trying to rile her, but she was too exhausted to play his game. “Suit yourself, oh great Kylo Ren,” she replied, as she set the tray on the floor and lay in bed. 

 

Minutes have passed, but neither of them made any attempt to talk. From her position, Rey watched the striking dark-haired warrior sitting at the corner of the room with his eyes closed, resting his back against the wall. When he wasn’t up and being the cocky guy he was earlier, she had to admit he was pretty attractive. Feeling a little bolder, she took his features, tracing it with her finger - from his wavy dark hair that stopped until his shoulders, the outline of his piercing brown eyes that were shut close, his perfectly straight nose, and his broad lips. He shrugged in his sleep, exposing his ears, which she thought were pretty too. Her thoughts drifted back to the man in her dreams, and she wondered if Ben would be just as dashing as the sleeping man if she’d seen him in person. 

  
  


The thought of seeing Ben in person used to bring a smile to her face, but today the thought scared her. After all, he was royalty - the Crown Prince of New Alderaan, as he would often mock whenever he’d visit her in dreams. And she? She was no one - a child left by her parents to the First Order as a slave, a scavenger in the deserts of Jakku, a prisoner of war. She’d bet on her life he wouldn’t even notice her if she’d present herself to him. 

 

“You seem upset.”

 

She jumped at the sound of Kylo’s voice, and saw that he was staring at her curiously. She felt her face flush at having been caught red-handed. 

  
“Is anything the matter?”

 

“No.”

 

He smiled to himself. Even with his eyes closed, he could sense what was going on in her head. He knew she’d thought he was a prick and that he looked like an angel when he was asleep, he also knew she’d wanted to meet him, but today she’d started doubting herself. 

 

“Are you sure it isn’t…”

 

“Ben?” 

 

The longing in her voice was not lost on him and when he gazed at her, he could tell how lonely she’d been without him - that he was the only constant in her life. 

 

“He seems like a nice guy,” he said, watching as she nodded and broke into a small smile. “Where’d you meet him?”

 

“I can’t tell.” 

 

“Why not?”

 

“Because I don’t want to,” she replied, clamming up once more. “And please don’t even think about entering my head again. I know what you’re doing.”

 

He cocked an eyebrow at her and smirked. “I did no such thing. Will you tell me more about this Ben you’ve been harping about?”

 

“I don’t think you’ve got time.”

 

He stood and approached her. “Our first stop is Ahch-To, somewhere in the Outer Rim. If my calculation is right, we’ll reach it in a few hundred hours even at our current pace of 0.5 past lightspeed,” he told her matter-of-factly before he sat at the end of her bed and winked. “I’d say we’ve got time.”

 

She rolled her eyes, thinking this was going to be a long flight. 

  
  


oOoOo

  
  


By the time they landed on Ahch-To, Ben knew two things - he was smitten with Rey, and he had never been more entranced by a woman in his life. Not that there have been many to begin with - Ben had always been quite reserved, and only joined her mother’s balls out of duty. Over the years, he’d met the beautiful daughters of ally monarchs, but none held his attention as much as this young wanderer. She was spirited, innocent and there was never a dull moment when he was with her. 

 

Rey also had two realizations - that she was attracted to the dark-haired leader of the Knights of Ren, and she was terrified by it. She was annoyed when he was around her, forcing her to tell him all about her involvement with Ben; but she hated it more when he was out attending to his duties and giving instructions to his knights. He was bold, presumptuous, but she felt alive when she was with him. 

 

As soon as the ship had properly docked, Rey watched the powerful young leader address his knights, his voice resonated in the room. She leaned by the door, studying his guarded expression and his closed body language, so different from what he was like when they talked. When she saw him nod and dismiss them, she immediately ran back to where she was previously seated, pretending she’d never moved. 

 

He entered the room with a small smile playing on his lips, knowing full well that she had been watching him from a distance. “Have I kept you waiting long?”

 

“No, I didn’t even know you’d left,” she replied as coolly as her voice allowed, much to his amusement. 

 

“We’ve landed in Ahch-To in the Outer Rim. We’re here to meet my uncle and refuel, so we’ll be here for a few days,” he informed her, before extending his hand to her. “Come with me.”

 

She felt her face turn warm when he’d offered his hand to her, and she could’ve sworn that they both felt a jolt of energy between them when their hands touched. She heard him suck his breath briefly, but held her hand firmly before she could pull away. He tugged her closer until she stood a breath away from him. She felt her heart race the moment he cupped her face with his free hand and move his face closer until she could feel his breath on her skin. 

 

“Master, we found the huts -”

 

The couple awkwardly parted upon hearing the knight speak. Rey was so sure that her face had turned several shades redder right at that moment. 

 

“Excellent. We’ll make our way to the huts shortly. Set up camp near the cruiser, and make sure someone is always on guard.” She heard their dashing leader say. The knight bowed and promptly excused himself to do his bidding. “Shall we go?”

 

His breath on her ear sent tingles down her spine. She’s never had a man stand this close to her before, but she didn’t find it unpleasant - quite the opposite, really. When he started walking, she realized that he hadn’t let her hand go. 

  
  


The hike to the mount where the huts were located went fairly easy, and for the first time in his life, he didn’t mind the long trek. He laughed as he listened to her ramble about having to catch up with him, and ducked when he sensed her throw a stone at him for teasing her. She asked him about his family, and he responded by asking her about Ben. 

 

From a distance, the Jedi Master watched his nephew make his way towards him with a girl in tow. Luke Skywalker narrowed his gaze at the couple, trying to make sense of the peculiar energy that radiated from them. The old man was well aware that his nephew was born a force-user, and the girl he was with seemingly has the force within her too. He could sense it - hers was just as strong as Ben’s, after all - but the Jedi Master could not tell where Ben’s energy ends and hers begins. 

 

“You’re a lot earlier than I’d expected, B-”

 

“Kylo Ren at your service,” Ben said, cutting his uncle off before he could say anything more. The worn-out look in his uncle’s eyes told him that the old man knew what he was up to, and he could only hope his uncle wouldn’t give him away. 

 

The Jedi Master rolled his eyes and sighed. “Kylo Ren,” he looked at his nephew briefly and then shifted his gaze to the young woman beside him. “I assume you’re the girlfriend? Welcome to my humble abode.” 

 

The sarcasm in his uncle’s voice was not lost to him, but neither was Rey’s hesitation to correct his perception. The brunette stayed quiet as his uncle ushered them to their respective huts and warned them against any ‘adult’ activity. Ben looked at Rey one last time as she retreated to her hut, before he followed his uncle inside the biggest of the three huts at the highest point of the temple island. 

 

“Who is she?”

 

Ben smirked and sat in front of his uncle, whose eyes never left his from the time he’d entered the room. He could tell by the shade of his uncle’s face and he way he clenched his fists tightly, that he was dying to find out about her.

 

“Her name is Rey, and I saw her at the Ministry in Corellia. She was a prisoner there,” Ben replied, as he took his gloves off and tossed them on the table. 

 

“And before that?”

 

He raised his eyes to level with his former Master. “What makes you think I’d known her longer?”

 

Luke raised an eyebrow at his nephew and sighed. “You know how the force works, Ben. Being stupid doesn’t become you,” he said in exasperation. “And you know that she has it too.”

 

“What did you see?”

 

“Your forces, Ben - yours and hers - are perfectly in sync. You know that doesn’t just happen in a span of a few days,” the older man told his nephew, who had started to lower his gaze. “How long have you known her?”

 

“I first met her when I was sixteen,” Ben started quietly. “It was during the time you taught me how to project myself using the force…”

 

“You went to her?”

 

“I didn’t exactly ask for her,” Ben snapped. “I focused on projecting myself to a force-user too. At that time, I’d thought of Alaia. I’m sure you knew I fancied her, but the force brought me to a dark dungeon where a child lay, crying -”

 

“Rey.”

 

“Yes, Rey. She was about six and her parents had sold her off. I only stayed for a few minutes, but I kept coming back to the same place - sometimes without even willing myself to do so. It doesn’t happen as much as it used to, but my dreams would always bring me back to her…”

 

“You’ve bonded.”

 

“We haven’t had sex, Uncle-”

 

The old Jedi gave him a murderous stare. “Ben, again, you know how the force works. If you haven’t had any contact, have you exchanged vows of any sort?”

 

“Are you asking if I married her? Of course not.”

 

“So, you haven’t made any vow or any kind of promise to the young woman…” Luke repeated slowly this time, stressing on every word. From where he stood, he noticed something flicker in Ben. The young man’s gasp was the only answer he needed. “Ben?”

 

“Whenever I’d leave, she’d ask me if I would come back,” the younger man recalled. “I’d promise her I would, and she’d promise me she’d wait… But that doesn’t-” he said, watching his uncle frown mockingly at him. “We’re not-”

 

“Bound?” Luke asked smugly. “No, you’re not bound… and Darth Vader wasn’t my real father at all, it was Han.” He eyed his nephew just in time to see his face fall. “Did you recognize her at once?

 

“Yes.”

 

“Did she recognize you?”

 

“Not with the mask and my uniform.”

 

Luke nodded, finally understanding why his nephew had kept his identity a secret. After all, she should know who he is if they’d made the connection. A moment of silence rested between then before Ben bolted up and faced him. There was a shift in the force, both of them felt it.

 

“Rey!” Ben sprinted out the door and onto the young woman’s hut, and tore the door open. He ran in, searching frantically for the young woman, but all he saw were her discarded vest and the staff she’d used during their hike. “Rey?”

 

“Ben, is she there?”

 

“No, she isn’t, and I can’t sense her anywhere. I’ll go check the ship. Maybe she’d gone back.”

 

Luke watched his nephew run down the tracks like a mad man. The last time he ever saw this happen was when a man a little older than his nephew chased after a nineteen-year-old Princess to stop her from marrying her betrothed. As soon as Ben disappeared into the clearing, he felt an invisible force pull him to the east. The Jedi Master encountered that all-too-familiar quiver in his heart that told him that someone had entered the Jedi Temple. He immediately took off for the ancient tree to see if any of his nephew’s knights or his nephew’s girlfriend had gone in.

 

He ran as fast as his feet could take him - the closer he was to the temple, the stronger he felt the energy inside it. Whoever was inside the temple was being pretty curious, he thought, as he felt the energy move. The old Jedi Master made it just in time to stop the intruder from touching the Sacred Jedi Texts. 

 

“Rey!”

 

The young woman jumped at the sound of the Jedi Master’s voice. She turned to face him, fear present in her eyes as she looked upon the old man. “I didn’t mean to…”

 

“What are you doing here?” Luke demanded, as he made his way to the young woman and stood between her and the Sacred texts she was about to touch.

 

“I… This place called to me,” she said, struggling to explain herself to the Jedi Master. “I’ve seen this place before. In a dream…”

 

“Who are you? Where are you from?”

 

The Jedi Master’s assertiveness startled her, so she backed away as slowly as she could. “I’m from nowhere, really -”

 

“Everyone comes from some place. Where are you from?”

 

“Jakku -” she blurted, closing her eyes in fear that he might strike her anytime. When the silence between them became deafening, the young brunette opened her eyes to find Luke Skywalker looking at her quizzically.

 

“Is Jakku even habitable?” 

 

“It is, sir,” she said, slightly embarrassed. “I lived there for a while.”

 

“And you dreamt of this place?”

 

She nodded furiously. “I can’t remember when it started, but I know this is the Ancient Jedi Temple and that you were Ben’s Master.”

 

“Ben? Did he bring you here?”

 

“No, he didn’t. I dreamt it on my own,” she replied. “I saw this tree, and these books…”

 

Luke gazed into the young woman's eyes and searched through her thoughts - he saw visions of Ben appearing before her and how her eyes lit up when she’d see him, he saw her rummaging through piles of junk in order to make money out of it. He scoured through her memories until he found the evidence he was looking for - the call of the force, the exact moment she’d been called upon the Jedi temple. It lasted only for a brief moment, but it was clear. She was chosen, and therein lies a choice she needed to make. 

 

The moment he’d stepped out of her thoughts, he noticed her take another step back. “I’m sorry, Rey-”

 

“You and Kylo Ren had better stop entering my head,” the young woman said indignantly, much to the Jedi Master’s chagrin. 

 

“Rey, I need you to make a choice today,” Luke said somberly. “And I’m going to be completely honest with you about everything. This probably won’t be an easy decision to make, and you’re going to want to sit down for this.”

  
  
  


oOoOo

  
  


Ben paced around his hut, silently cursing his uncle for not telling him about Rey’s whereabouts sooner. He knew there was something odd about the old man agreeing with him; after all, the Jedi Master never agreed with anything he does so easily. As soon as he found out she wasn’t in the ship, Ben immediately went back to his uncle, only to find he’d gone off himself. It was nearly sundown when his old Jedi Master had returned, and his worst fear had been realized. 

 

_ ‘Don’t underestimate the force.’ _

 

Ben sneered at his uncle’s sentiment. Of course, Rey would choose to be a Jedi; after all, she had nothing to lose, nowhere to go, and no one to call family. He seriously doubted she’d want to see him either, especially after his uncle had revealed who he was. Taking the helmet he’d seen lying around in the hut, he slammed it against the stone wall. He hit the wall repeatedly, each blow harder than the last until the helmet had crumbled in his hand. Still frustrated, the dark-haired warrior used his fist to hit the wall just as hard as he did with the helmet. 

 

“Do you want to destroy the hut? It’s not yours, you know.”

 

Ben stopped abruptly, his fist in mid-punch. That voice - he knew that voice like the back of his hand. He froze, catching his breath. He hadn’t realized that tears had streamed down his face until now, nor did he realize his left hand was bleeding from the punches he threw. 

 

She was here. Rey. She came to see him. Ben felt his heart beat faster, unsure what to expect when he faces her. He knew she had a decision to make, and perhaps she was there to say goodbye. He took a deep breath, and sighed. 

 

“Your hut’s on the other side.”

 

“I know,” she replied casually. “I saw that the door was knocked down, too. I don’t suppose you know who did it.”

 

“So you’re here to trade huts.”

 

“I don’t have to.”

 

Her response made his heart drop. She probably didn’t need a hut, he thought. After all, padawans often stayed near the temple. He sighed. “Very well.”

 

“Very well?” she laughed as she made her way to where strapping young warrior stood. “Oh, what’s happened - do you not have any snarky comeback or sarcastic remarks… Ben?” she tugged his arm, and made him face her. His brokenness reflected in his eyes made her own heart break. She lifted her hand to touch his face - slowly, gently - and he leaned into her touch. 

 

“I didn’t mean to keep it from you.”

 

Rey offered him a smile, cupping his face with both hands. “It’s strange. Somehow, I knew. Your questions may have thrown me off, but there was something about you that felt so familiar.”

 

“And my uncle confirmed it.”

 

“He’s very fond of you,” she winked. “And yes, he did tell me that I was ‘called by the force’ and that I had the choice…”

 

“To stay and become a Jedi,” he continued for her. 

 

“Yes,” she replied. 

 

“And you’ve decided,” he said, as he straightened up, his heart pounding against his chest once more. 

 

“I did,” she smiled, sensing how anxious he was to find out. She had her apprehensions about coming to his hut that evening, but she’d put all those to rest the moment he allowed her to touch him. 

 

“Have you decided to be a Jedi?”

 

She smirked, the same way he did when they travelled to this island. “You know, for a leader, you’re quite dense,” she teased, pulling his face closer until his forehead touched hers. “I chose to be with you… if you’ll have me, that is.”

 

He tried to keep himself from smirking back at her. “You know, for someone who was chosen by the Force, Rey, you’re also quite dense,” he said, using her own words against her, before he finally closed the gap between them, and made her his. 

  
  


oOoOo

  
  


**Epilogue:**

 

“Stop watching me sleep.”

 

Ben laughed at the sound of his wife’s sleep-heavy voice, as they lay in bed that evening. It was their first wedding anniversary, but they chose to celebrate it within the grounds of the palace of New Alderaan, upon the Queen’s request. A strand of hair had fallen on her face, and he moved to gently brush it aside.

 

“You’re creeping me out, Ben.”

 

“You say that every night,” he replied, leaning in to plant a kiss on her cheek. 

 

“Well, you watch me sleep every night,” she snapped back, snuggling closer to her husband with her eyes still closed. 

 

“I still feel that this is all a dream sometimes -”

 

“Really? After all this time?” she asked, peeking at him with one eye. When he nodded, she smiled, took his hand, and placed it on her swollen belly. “Ben, we’re going to have babies. This had better not be a dream because I would haunt you every night and demand you do your share of raising our twins.”

 

He laughed at his wife’s witty comeback, and wrapped his arms around her. “Don’t you ever get scared that you’d wake up and this was all a dream all over again?”

 

“How could that happen, Ben? You were never just a dream to me,” Rey said before she drifted off to dreamland. 

 

Ben smiled at his wife, who slept soundly in his arms, and held her closer before he welcomed sleep himself. For the first time since he saw her in Corellia, he slept well, knowing that indeed, his reality was far better than any dream he’d ever had. 

  
  


The End. 


End file.
